Understanding Depression

In the United States, depression is the most common mental health disorder. Each year it affects 17 million people of all age groups, races, and economic backgrounds. As many as 1 in every 33 children may have depression; in teens, that number may be as high as 1 in 8. If you suspect that your child is depressed, you'll want to learn more about what depression is, what causes it, and what you can do if your child is depressed.

What Is Depression?

Depression isn't just bad moods and occasional melancholy. It's not just feeling down or sad, either. These feelings are normal in children, especially during the teen years. Even when major disappointments and setbacks make people feel sad and angry, the negative feelings usually lessen with time. But when a depressive state, or mood, lingers for a long time — weeks, months, or even longer — and limits a child's ability to function normally, it can be diagnosed as depression.

Types of depression include: major depression, dysthymia, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, seasonal affective disorder, and bipolar disorder or manic depression. All of these can affect children.

Major depression is a serious condition characterized by a persistent sad mood, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and the inability to feel pleasure or happiness. Major depression typically interferes with day-to-day functioning like eating and sleeping. A child with major depression feels depressed almost every day.

Dysthymia may be diagnosed if the sadness is not as severe but continues for a year or longer. Children with dysthymia often feel “down in the dumps.” They can have low self-esteem, feel hopeless, and even have problems sleeping and eating. Unlike major depression, dysthymia does not severely interfere with day-to-day functioning but the “down mood” is a pervasive part of the child’s world. Perhaps as many as 1% to 3% of children have dysthymia.

Bipolar disorder is another type of mood disturbance and is characterized by episodes of low-energy depression (sadness and hopelessness) and high-energy mania (irritability and explosive temper). Bipolar disorder may affect as many as 1% to 2% of children. More than 2 million adults have bipolar disorder, and it typically develops in the late teen years and early adulthood. Research on bipolar disorders in children is only in its infancy. Researchers believe that kids and teens with bipolar disorder can experience a number of problems, including attention deficit disorders, oppositional behavior disorders, anxiety, and irritability in addition to changes in mood from depression to mania.

What Causes Depression?

Depression usually isn't caused by one event or thing; it's typically the result of one or more factors, and its causes vary from child to child. Depression can be caused by lowered levels of neurotransmitters (chemicals that carry signals through the nervous system) in the brain, which limits a person's ability to feel good. Depression can run in families, so a child who has a close relative with depression may be more likely to experience it.